Rahul Gandhi's Itinerary Is Anywhere But HereSo Rahul Gandhi, Congress Vice-President will return from a 4-day trip to Norway this week; come September, he will fly to the USA for two weeks. Gandhi will be travelling across the USA from Silicon Valley to Boston. He will also participate in a round table at the Carnegie Institute in Washington, DC. Gandhi, who will be accompanied by family friend Sam Pitroda, is also expected to attend a host of events with Non Resident Indians (NRIs), venture capitalists and early stage investors in California.

Where kids play to hearts’ contentActually, it is a win-win situation for all involved. As Nils Ragnar Kamsvag, Ambassador of Norway to India aptly explains, “It is a pleasure to know that this form of learning is gaining interest in India. The Nordic model of education aims at a holistic development of children in a setting that is comfortable and enjoyable for them. In Norway, the best interests of the children are top priority. Of course, in the long term, we are happy if such initiatives also create Norway lovers in India.”

Politics

Time for India to adopt an Arctic strategyThe Arctic is witnessing dramatic physical changes. The effects of ice melting in the Arctic Ocean present both opportunities and challenges. The commercial openings range from harnessing potential resource wealth including oil and gas finds and the opening of the northern sea route for shipping and trade.

Six-month maternity leave to help more women seek jobs: GovernmentThe Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by Lok Sabha in March, months after Rajya Sabha approved the measure that takes India to the third position in terms of the number of weeks for maternity leave after Canada and Norway where it is 50 weeks and 44 weeks, respectively.

12 of the most beautiful prisons around the worldNorway's Halden Prison lets inmates cook, play video games, shoot hoops, and sleep on plush beds. Rooms look more like college dorms than cells. The idea is to treat convicts like people, so they will re-enter society in a healthy mindset.

Norway’s Orkla unveils Laban candy in IndiaNorway’s Orkla ASA, introduced its chewy candy, Laban, through its nationwide network set up by its subsidiary MTR Foods, in an Indian confectionery market worth ₹8,200 crore.

Electric Cars - Not as green as you thinkNorway is the leading country in Europe for electric vehicle sales. However, as the sales of electric cars have gone up, the use of public transport to get to work dropped by 80 percent so the benefits of converting to e-cars would be limited if it resulted in more personal car ownership and that is not a situation we can afford in the over-crowded Indian roads.

Diabetes cure comes a step closerResearchers at the University of Bergen in Norway have transformed skin puncture cells from diabetes patients into insulin-producing cells. Their aim is to transplant these cells under the skin of people with diabetes.

Chronic fatigue syndrome biomarkers found: StudyMore than one million people in the US suffer from the CFS, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis. It was reported earlier in 2017 that in Norway, a nation with a population of over five million, about 270 primary and secondary students dropped school due to the syndrome.

How Carbon Clean Solutions is helping industries cut their carbon footprintCarbon Clean Solutions, a start-up involved in the niche carbon capture technology, does its job at rates much lower than market standards and even allows industries to sell the captured carbon. Sharma today is the chief operating officer of one of the few companies in the world that specialize in carbon capture, an industry dominated by big companies like Shell Cansolv, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Aker Solutions (Norway).

Norway, Sweden water reservoir levels riseWater reservoir levels for hydropower generation in Norway and Sweden rose last week, energy authorities said on Wednesday. Water levels are key to electricity prices in the Nordic region which gets half its power from hydroelectric stations

Assamese ‘Bhojpuri Melody Queen’ creates ripples in Norway!In a recent event known as the Norway Oslo Mela Festival, Kalpana Patowary performed live wherein she sang an Assamese marriage folk song from Barpeta district. The singer is known to flaunt the traditional attires from Northeast India and this time was no exception. She donned a colourful Bodo traditional attire Dokna and Aronai at the Oslo Mela Festival, Norway.

‘Norway made me a better person’When Gurpreet Singh Sandhu moved to Norwegian club Stabaek in 2014 it was a step into the unknown. Not many Indian footballers had plied their trade abroad and for the handful who tried, success was scant.

India-bound 2017 Range Rover Velar first drive reviewI'd like to tell you about Norway and how it is this amazing country with landscapes so spectacular that it would make you weep! And after this abundance of fjords and scaling peaks, teeming alpine forests and ice caps, it makes me wonder what made the Vikings leave their homes.

Nargis Fakhri on stranger tides in NorwayNargis Fakhri is enjoying herself to the fullest in Norway. Her Instagram pictures are a proof of the same. While she has been having a gala time with friends and basking in the Oslo sun, the pretty actress has taken some time out to rejuvenate herself.

Self-drive road trips abroad on your Indian driving licenceNorway: The Land of the Midnight Sun beckons you to come and explore its amazing fjords. Drive from Oslo to Bergen and you'll pass some of the most beautiful villages, waterfalls, and fjords in Europe. Indian visitors can drive in Norway for three months with a valid Indian driving licence.